Pursuing wellness can improve your life in many ways. Because it is about more than just physical health, it can impact everything from your relationships to your career to your hobbies and more. Wellness takes a holistic approach to things, meaning that no one aspect of your life is considered in isolation from another.
Your physical health can be affected by the amount of stress you are under, and this means that if you are miserable at your job and in your relationships, you might not be at the peak of physical health either. The goal of wellness is to improve in all areas so that you can live a more satisfying and fulfilling life. To pursue this goal, there are several different things you should consider.
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Your Physical Environment
Your physical environment can have a big effect on how you feel about everything else in your life. Some aspects of your environment can be difficult or impossible to change, you may dream of living at the beach but you’re in the middle of a big city. You might long to live alone, but you can’t afford rent without roommates. However, it’s still important to try to work within the limitations that you have.
This might mean working to make sure that your room in a shared house is particularly pleasant and includes some objects that mean a lot to you. If clutter is a problem, see if you can do a little each day or week to reduce it. Even if you live with family that you love very much, you may want a small space to go occasionally to that is yours, even if it’s just a corner of the living room where everyone knows not to bother you if they see you there. You can add eucalyptus leaves to the shower to bring some nature into your everyday life as well, for example.
In some cases, you may be able to do more than you think. Don’t assume that you can’t afford a different place or even to move to a new area entirely if that’s what you’d really like. If you own your home, a remodel may cost less than you think. Looking into this can be especially important if you are starting to run into problems that make it difficult to remain in your home, such as struggling with an inadequate kitchen or bathroom, or even having difficulty with stairs. You may be surprised to learn that for the latter problem, a home elevator is a possibility in many structures, and home elevator prices may not be as high as you expect. Whatever the problem you’re having with where you live, research solutions before assuming there aren’t any.
Your Social Life
You don’t have to be the life of the party or even have many friends, but for optimal wellness, most people do need to have a few social connections. It’s best if you have more than one person to turn to for support simply because that one person might not always be available. It’s also helpful to have small casual interactions with others throughout the day if possible. If you are looking to expand your circles of people that you know, there are several ways you can do this. Volunteering, taking a class, or looking for a hobby group can all help you meet new people and expand your circle.
Your Mind
It’s easy to assume that once you are finished with school, you quit learning, or that you only need to learn new things for your job. However, lifelong learning can help keep you stimulated and engaged with the world. That doesn’t mean you have to be a perpetual student, although some do enjoy taking formal classes. There are many ways to learn things, particularly now that the internet offers so many apps, websites, courses, and videos that can teach you anything from yoga to languages, home renovation to astronomy and much more.
Alongside learning is expressing your creativity. You don’t have to be an artist to be creative. You can paint, write, sing, or engage in artistic pursuits in many other ways as part of an amateur group in your community or on your own. Creativity is not limited to these activities either; crafts, woodworking, cooking and even thinking up games and stories to share with your children are all creative acts that can generally make you feel inspired and fulfilled as you go about your day.
Your Values
An important question to ask yourself as you embark on seeking more wellness in your life is what your values are. What things do you want more of in your life, and what do you want less of? Making sure that what you are doing day-to-day aligns with what you think is truly important in life is one of the main keys to wellness. In some cases, that might mean reframing some of what you do. Maybe you don’t love your job, but if it allows you independence or to support your family, you can focus on that element of it.
